resorcinol

Also res·or·cin

[ri-zawr-suh-nawl, -nol]

noun

Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a white, needlelike, water-soluble solid, C 6 H 6 O 2 , a benzene derivative originally obtained from certain resins, now usually synthesized: used chiefly in making dyes, as a reagent, in tanning, in the synthesis of certain resins, and in medicine in treating certain skin conditions; meta-dihydroxybenzene.

resorcinol

/ rɪˈzɔːsɪˌnɒl /

noun

1. a colourless crystalline phenol with a sweet taste, used in making dyes, drugs, resins, and adhesives. Formula: C 6 H 4 (OH) 2 ; relative density: 1.27; melting pt: 111°C; boiling pt at 1 atm.: 276°C

Other Word Forms

• resorcinal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of resorcinol¹

First recorded in 1880–85; res(in) + orcinol

Word History and Origins

Origin of resorcinol¹

C19: New Latin, from _resin + _orcinol

Example Sentences

Some Direct Colours, indeed, are of little value, owing, for example, to their sensibility to acids, until they have been diazotized and developed, the usual developers being β-naphthol, resorcinol, phenol and phenylene-diamine.

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The other compound, resorcinol, was known to chemistry ten years before it was utilized as a source of colouring-matters.

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After mixing the ointment heat it until the resorcinol crystals melt to prevent any irritation of the skin from them.

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Further, an excellent group of coloring matters, giving fast browns and greens with copper and iron mordants respectively, is formed by naphthol green, resorcinol green, gambin, and dioxin.

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The condensation product—prepared as described for resorcinol, but requiring higher temperature—is a brick-red powder, insoluble in water.

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